Are your kitchen cabinets giving off an oily sheen?
Have you noticed a dull yellow tinge to them?
If your cabinets look like they’re sweating, then a proper cleaning is long overdue.
Fortunately, cabinet cleaning is a well-practiced art, with several remedies to fit your unique needs.
Whether you’re looking to brew your own cleaning solution, or need some guidance down the cleaning aisle, here are 6 solutions to cleaning sticky grease off kitchen cabinets.
Home Remedies
You don’t need to rush to the store to clean your kitchen cabinets.
There are plenty of solutions you can craft using items around your home.
Baking Soda is Best
A baking soda solution is a perfect remedy for grimy build-up in need of a little elbow grease.
Baking soda brings scrubbing power without being abrasive, so it won’t damage your finish.
To clean your cabinets with baking soda, Ovenclean.com suggests mixing a solution of 1 part baking soda and 2 parts warm water, (you can even add a little lemon juice if you have it).
From there, you can either transfer your solution to a spray bottle and spritz down your cabinets or grab a sponge.
After scrubbing your cabinets, run over your cabinets with a damp, warm cloth to remove any leftover residue.
Bonus Tip: Replace the water with Coconut Oil or Toothpaste (about 2 tablespoons). Not only does this blend clean your cabinets, but it smells pleasant too.
Definitive Dish Soap
If you clean your cabinets consistently, first, congratulations, you responsible adult!
Second, you probably won’t need any heavy-duty cleaners, so a dish soap solution should work quite well.
Recommended by lovetoknow.com, classic Dawn is perfect for regular maintenance cleaning, especially for wood cabinets.
As an alkaline-based product, dish soap cuts through grease pretty consistently, especially when you mix it with hot water.
If your cabinets need more rigorous cleaning, however, dish soap might not be enough.
Fill a bowl with hot water, as hot as you can stand it, add a liberal squirt of dish soap, throw on your rubber gloves, and have at those cabinets with a sponge.
When you’ve finished exerting yourself, end the job by drying your cabinets with a dishtowel.
Bonus Tip: Use an old toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach grooves.
Vintage Vinegar Spray
A 50/50 water and vinegar solution is a trusted cabinet cleaner.
Vinegar’s natural acidity easily breaks down grime and grease.
However, if applied to cabinets undiluted, it can ruin a wood finish on contact.
According to Trendswoodfinishing.com, the easiest and safest way to clean kitchen cabinets with white vinegar is to mix it with equal parts of warm water and put it in a spray bottle.
Next, spritz your cabinets with the solution and let it settle, breaking down the grime.
Then wipe away the dirt with a sponge or brush.
Follow up with a damp towel or cloth to wipe away any residue.
Outstanding Oils
Unless you’re mixing coconut oil with baking soda, you should refrain from using vegetable oils to clean your cabinets.
While it will help remove grease, vegetable oils are often non-drying, and attract dust and eventually spoil.
According to The Spruce, the only oils you should be using are drying oils, such as orange, walnut, and linseed.
Not only will these oils clean wood cabinets, but they’ll also form a hard protective barrier to make them easier to clean in the future.
Store-Bought Solutions
Looking for something intentionally designed to clean cabinets instead of concocting your own?
Here are some store-bought solutions worth grabbing next time you’re out.
If the grease on your cabinets is too tough for home remedies these products should help.
Notable commercial Products
There are plenty of worthy commercial brands that can help clean your cabinets.
Next time you’re at your grocery or convenience store look for one of these brands.
- Goo Gone, with its blend of orange oils and refined oils, removes even the gooiest grease.
- Magic Eraser can clean your laminate cabinets, but be careful with wood cabinets because it can remove the finish.
- Murphy’s Oil Soap is a tried and true wood cleaner. With 98% natural ingredients, it’s safe to use on almost any surface.
- Method All-Purpose Spray is an all-around winner with biodegradable ingredients that can clean both counters and cabinets and almost everything in between.
- Magic Cabinet & Wood Cleaner is a ready-made option that goes the extra step of providing a water-resistant protective coating thanks to its inclusion of Carnuba wax.
- Simple Green is a concentrated cleaner that will clean and degrease just about anything without fear of harsh chemical residue that can harm human or animal family members.
Just dilute it according to package instructions to suit your needs. - Castile Soap is gentle and strong, so it’s ideal for a wide variety of uses.
It’s gentle on skin because it's made from saponified oils that have hydrating properties, but it's an equally powerful cleanser that can tackle even the most stubborn grime.
Diluted to different levels as a spray, it can give you a mild clean or a deep degreasing.
Classic Carnuba Wax
Like orange oil, carnauba wax and beeswax are excellent for cleaning and polishing wood cabinets.
They not only cut through tough grease, but they also keep the wood from drying out, preserving your cabinets long-term.
If you’re looking to purchase something for cleaning your cabinets, grab a wood cleaner with some carnauba wax.
Now It’s Your Turn
There’s no one right answer when it comes to cleaning kitchen cabinets.
There are plenty of viable cleaning options to help you get the job done.
Got a secret home remedy we neglected to list?
Let us know and we’ll add it to the article.
Otherwise, leave a comment letting us know which cleaner you’ve had the most success with!